White River National Wildlife Refuge Near the Mississippi River, USA – April 20th, 2010

West of the brown, curving ribbon of the Mississippi River and amidst the surrounding tan landscape is the White River National Wildlife Refuge, identifiable as a large area of dark green vegetation. The refuge is located in Desha, Monroe, Phillips, and Arkansas counties in the USA state of Arkansas.

The White River National Wildlife Refuge has a surface area of 160,000 acres (650 km2) – it is 3 to 10 miles (4.8 to 16 km) wide and encompasses 90 miles (140 km) of the lower 100 miles (160 km) of the White River.

The refuge lies with the Mississippi lowland forests ecoregion. Amidst the forest are 356 natural and man-made lakes, which make up 4,000 acres (16 km2) of the refuge. There are 154,000 acres (620 km2) of forestland, 900 acres (3.6 km2) of agricultural land, and 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of grassland. It is classified as a Wetland of International Importance.